


Admire But Do Not Touch

by MarchWindsAprilShowers



Series: Quote Prompts [25]
Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M, PSYCH!, Protectiveness, Quote Challenge, Rejection, Sexual Harassment, not the quote challenge wow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 16:59:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17584751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarchWindsAprilShowers/pseuds/MarchWindsAprilShowers
Summary: "You could've killed him!"





	Admire But Do Not Touch

He’s definitely more approached now than he was before those two years. Beforehand, many thought he was as cute and harmless as a button.  _ Afterwards,  _ he’s become “smokin’” apparently, and a “pretty boy”. One wanted him for marriage, which Sanji was  _ sworn  _ to secrecy about because it was so embarrassing. Another woman once tried to wheedle her way into his lap which even the young man’s heart wasn’t terribly ready for (and was also something else that was sworn to secrecy). 

It was kinda cute to watch at first. 

Usopp, minding his own business, until some poor, unknowing soul tries to seduce him. It takes him a while to figure out that he’s being hit on, which is not because he’s anywhere close to being slow. It’s innocence and his lower self-esteem; the sniper can’t fathom someone looking at him and wanting to ‘hit that’. At least anyone besides Sanji now, and even then there’s some convincing involved. 

Anyway, he carries some pleasant conversation with these strangers as he finds no reason to not be kind (only if said strangers are kind first). Then, right as he understands,  _ fully  _ understands what is  _ actually  _ happening, his eyebrows briefly shoot up in surprise. On cue, there’s an bashful look on his face, a hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. He used to come up with a colorful variety of excuses as to why he wasn’t interested, but now he just says that he’s with someone else.

Which he  _ better. _

Sometimes, his “potential suitors” would take the rejection well and carry on. Others needed a little more convincing, maybe a glare from the ‘someone else’ Usopp was talking about that read ‘I’m going to eat you for breakfast’ (these the sniper didn’t know about) or their conversation interrupted. It wasn’t as if the younger man wasn’t capable of saying  _ no,  _ hell, he’s the best at declaring that word. He has even given a couple people a piece of his mind or smacked hands away. Really, the cook just got a kick out of scaring the shit out of them...and ending the situation sooner than later.

But there are  _ some  _ people, apparently, that have to go that  _ extra  _ mile. Hints be  _ damned. _

Farmers market, midday, sun beating down on colorful canopies and awnings. Usopp was dragged along for grocery shopping (like always), splitting up from his crewmate to find some pears that were worthy to feed the Strawhat crew for a few days. Sanji was a several stands down from him, far away enough to not hear the conversation his lover was having with the stand’s owner, but close enough to see him with his basket over the crook of his arm and standing hipshot as he studied a green pear for bruises. 

The chef is looking over a few apples until his peripheral vision catches the poor soul ready to be rejected. His eyes slide over to get a good look at him; the stranger is pretty tall, probably as tall as Sanji with brown curly hair, just as pale, and a chef’s jacket on. He had a burlap bag, already filled with other produce, the straps over his forearm. 

The guy at least has the decency to say ‘hello’, which Usopp responds with a short greeting and a nod back. Wow...this line cook seems to be a nice guy with the way he struck up some kind of lighthearted conversation. Maybe there was a compliment and a ‘thank you’. He even got the sniper to laugh...which, admittedly, Sanji didn’t like too much. But, hey, the pleasant rejection speech, that was almost like music to his ears, would be here soon.

Stranger moves closer to the sniper who takes a small step back.  _ Stupid  _ doesn’t get the message, so Usopp decides to leave the situation. He says a nice but curt goodbye, turning away to walk back to where Sanji was who is a little disappointed that he did have to scare this one off-

This  _ piece of shit  _ thought it would be  _ so  _ appropriate to leave the perfect parting gift which was a swift slap on the ass. Before Usopp could go back to land the sucker punch he had cocked and ready to go, Sanji was already there. His leg was raised and his heel dug deep into the culprit’s temple. The sound it made even had Usopp wincing. 

_ “Sanji!”  _ The younger man exclaims, looking at Mr. Touchyfeely crumpled into the street, probably lying in the crater the impact made. “You could’ve killed him!” This is coming from the few battles where he’s  _ seen  _ one good kick kill a couple marines. This guy is no doubt an degenerate asshole, but  _ murder  _ was a little  _ far.  _

Knowing full well that his legs could be registered as deadly weapons, “Good.” Is all he says before spitting. He needed a cigarette, a hand going to his pocket only to remember that he also needed to pick up some more. Steel-toed dress shoes gave the guy one more shove in the stomach before stepping over him. The man groaned in pain. 

“See? He’s alive.” Sanji says over his shoulder as if he was being reassuring, going back to retrieve the basket he abandoned in his heist. 

Someone else ran over, probably the town’s doctor, to see if the line cook was okay which only left the sniper to awkwardly leave the situation. He felt like apologizing, _almost,_ but at the end of the day, this punk deserved it. He kind of wished Sanji would be a little... _less_ protective, which he understands is a lot of the time the blonde’s knee-jerk reaction. There was one time Franky jokingly raised a hand to the younger man and suddenly the cook was in front of his best friend like _lightning_ struck him into place _._ He gets it, but _still._ Usopp could’ve handled it, and would have left the guy conscious enough to voice a proper apology. At least one that wasn’t garbled and slurred, one where blood hadn’t started rolling out of his mouth. 

If it’s any consolation, it wasn’t as if Sanji’s protectiveness  _ wasn’t  _ hot and kind of a turn on. 

**Author's Note:**

> soooooo recent protective Sanji from the manga had me thinking about all the times he has had to protecc the sopp aaaaaAAAAAANNNND


End file.
